Broken Survival
by Fire in the Shadows
Summary: Marvel's spear struck Rue directly in the upper stomach, and Katniss took his life in retaliation. And then, she realized that it wasn't in her power to heal Rue's wound. But though it looked terrible, Rue's wound wasn't that deep. The Capitol assumes that Rue is dead, until they are told otherwise. Instead of sending her back to the Games, President Snow has other plans for Rue.


Chapter 1:

I feel myself involuntarily stop shivering from the cold wind as two arms wrap around my small body, pulling me into a friendly embrace. Fervently, I wrap my arms around the older girl, taking in her warmth and affection. I lift my head upwards to look into two clear gray eyes, which seem to be glowing with the happiness of the moment. My small, dark gaze holds trust and friendship as it meets hers. Of course, the moment's warmth wouldn't last. We're in the Hunger Games, after all.

"You will be all right, won't you, Katniss?" I venture, stepping away to stare hopefully into my ally's eyes. She places a hand on my shoulder, and, kneeling down to match my height, smiles gently and reassuringly at me.

"Of course I will, Rue." It's strange. I haven't heard my name spoken with such warmth in so long. Not since I was reaped from District 11, and sent to fight against so many other tributes, from the other districts. I know for sure that whatever happens, I will not fight Katniss. She suddenly stares at me with startling intensity burning in the depths of her large gray eyes. "Come closer; I want to tell you something."

Obediently, I step closer to the District 12 female tribute and tilt my head, allowing Katniss to whisper into it. The truth of her words burns in my mind. "The Games should not exist, Rue. We aren't just pieces that are used as toys for the Capitol. We shouldn't be here. And, sooner or later, I'm going to stop the Games."

I lean away, then turn my head to whisper back. "You mean... you're going to _rebel?_ But remember what happened to District 13?"

"Not now," Katniss tells me, in a hushed whisper. "Obviously not, since we're in the Hunger Games. I need to find many, many allies in the Districts... enough to bring down the Capitol and President Snow."

"But you're just saying that, aren't you?" I ask her, my voice rising slightly. "You won't actually..."

Katniss shakes her head firmly, whispering to me. "No, Rue. I actually mean this. The Games need to stop, sometime in the next few years. And to do that, we need a rebellion that's strong enough to destroy the Capitol."

I flash Katniss a shaky smile, and she gently kisses my forehead before standing up and turning away. "Katniss!" Involuntarily, I call out her name, and she turns back to face me. I turn my dark gaze away. "Nothing... never mind."

Katniss smiles softly, and cups her hand around my chin. "Gather as many herbs as you can find, and stay away from other tributes. Meet me back in this area. I'll be back soon, Rue. I promise you." She looks away in the direction of the Careers' camp, then turns back. "How should we communicate?"

I look up to hear the birds chirping cheerfully overhead. "Mockingjays," I tell her. I let out a simple, four-note whistle. The mockingjays - a genetically modified bird species - pick the tune up, and carry it through the forest. "When you're on your way back, whistle, and I'll whistle back." With that, she turns away from me, a look of pure determination set in the depths of her gray eyes. I watch as the sixteen-year-old tribute girl breaks into a run, her legs striking against the ground rhythmically but silently.

I have to say that she is definitely fast for a District 12 tribute. Though I'm younger than Katniss is, I actually might be faster; I'm small and nimble... and I'm from District 11. So I run from falling trees and across the fields, every day.

Tearing my dark gaze away, I turn and head for the small clearing that I had found to be abundant in herbs, just a few days before. Leaning over slightly, my small hand reaches out to pick up a bright yellow-orange flower from a marigold clump. I catch my reflection in one of the puddles formed on the grass from the previous night's rain, and I take in the image of a small twelve-year-old girl with short, dark hair, dark skin, and dark eyes.

At the base of a hollow oak tree, I stop, and looking inside, I find what I had left the day before. It was a basket that I had created from tree bark and sturdy leaves, before I allied with Katniss. It would be useful to carry many of the herbs in this clearing.

Kneeling on the grass, my arm outstretched to uproot the herbal plants here, I breathe in the pleasant, moist scent of the forest as I pull up several stalks of marigold from the grassy patch. _Marigold for infection and stomach ache,_ I tell myself consciously.

I move on, after a while. _Goldenrod for colds and small injuries._ After pulling up multiple stalks of the golden flower, I hold a few to my nose. I have always loved the smell of goldenrod, for some strange reason.

 _Feverfew for headaches, fever, and dizziness..._ My arms are moving faster, now, tearing the plants from the ground. The Gamemakers were kind to keep these herbs in plain sight, but I can't help but think that there's some catch.

 _Burdock for fever, colds, and infection,_ I tell my mind, silently. _Cobwebs help stop blood flow. Alder leaves prevent infection of wounds._ My hands are moving faster and faster, now, and my hand-woven container is nearly full. _Chervil for flu, coughs, and insect bites._

It has probably been a while, and Katniss should be back soon. My arms are completely exhausted with the herb-picking, so I shake them out to try and ease the mild ache. I slowly stand up, and I walk over to the other end of the clearing.

I feel my foot slip on something smooth, and I stumble forward. And that's when something seems to rise out of the ground and wrap around me, dragging me down onto the grass, and knocking the basket out of my grasp. Lifting my head from where I lie, I see that it is a net. Now I realize. I had walked directly into a trap. The net was designed to hold anyone who walked on it.

Oh, how could I be so careless?

Hopefully, Katniss will be done with her job there, soon. She has gone to blow up the Careers' supplies, because we both feel that they have not started out with the same tools as the poorer districts; they were provided with more, since the start of the Games.

But I know I can't call out. Not until I know Katniss is close. It'll attract unwanted attention to both me and Katniss.

Part of the net has fastened tightly around my neck, and I can barely breathe. My arms are pinned by my sides, and I struggle futilely against the thick rope. I roll over, kicking feebly, but all I've managed to do is get myself tangled further into the mesh.

I feel tears spring to my dark eyes. Part of me knows that this is probably the end. I close my eyes, swallowing a sob. _I'll never see Mother, or Aspen, or Delphine again,_ I realize, my eyes opening again. _Katniss, please hurry..._

Sure enough, I hear the familiar four-note tune ring through the air above, the musical call escaping the beaks of the mockingjays. I force myself not to reply, knowing that Katniss won't suspect any problem if I do.

I blink hopefully as I hear footsteps. "Katniss!" I scream, my voice dry. "Katniss, help!"

Moments later, Katniss bursts into the clearing. "Rue!" she calls out, and I can hear the relief in her voice. The knife which she holds in her fist slices through the rope, and I stand up almost immediately, falling into Katniss's warm embrace. The District 12 tribute pulls my head against her chest, holding me tightly, and the two of us stand in the warmth of each other's grasp. "You're okay," she whispers to me, lifting me and setting me gently on a tree stump. "You're okay."

I hear a rustle, and out of the corner of my eye, I notice the outline of a figure dash into the clearing. Quickly, I turn my head to look beyond Katniss's shoulder. The figure is a Career, the boy from District 1. _Marvel,_ I recall.

Seconds later, Katniss turns her head to follow my gaze. I hear her let out a short gasp, and Marvel hurls his silver spear directly at her. I realize that he hadn't taken the time to aim properly, so his spear went to the side. Still, Katniss shields her side with her bow, and as the spear strikes it, I hear a clang, and the spear veers slightly off course.

And it's headed directly towards me.

I feel as though my limbs have frozen, because I'm too afraid to move. The spear plunges into the depths of my stomach, but I don't feel the pain until a few full seconds later. It's a burning sensation, spreading from the wound outward.

At the very same moment, Katniss fires a single arrow into the base of Marvel's chest. The District 1 male tribute falls to his knees and destroys the remainder of his short life by pulling the arrow out and completely falling to the ground.

My hand runs across the smooth, silver handle of the spear. I wrap my hand around it, and pull Marvel's weapon from my body. It falls onto the grass beside me. I feel my legs wobble, and I suddenly feel faint. I slowly begin to sag backward, but Katniss holds me firmly, then lies me on the grass. "Are there any more?" Her voice is almost a shout. "Are there?" An arrow is poised at her surroundings. I shake my head firmly, over and over.

Finally, Katniss seems to understand me, and she blinks at me. Not with sympathy, but just with... sadness, and longing. She opens my jacket to inspect the wound, and I crane my neck to see that it looks like a dark red patch on my clothing. I look back up at Katniss to see that she is blinking back tears. _She's given up,_ I realize in dismay. _She doesn't think she can heal this wound._

Katniss clutches my hand, but I barely realize it. "Did you blow up the food?" I ask her, feeling tears spring to my own eyes.

"Every last bit," she assures me. I hear a cannon, at this time. It's probably for Marvel, whose body is lying a short distance away, coated in his own blood.

I close my eyes for a brief moment, and open them again. "You have to win," I tell Katniss.

"I'm going to. Going to win for both of us now," Katniss promises. My hand feels limp, but she continues to hold it, almost crushing it. Her grip is firm, but I don't mind. It's good to know that she still cares for me, even when I'm dying.

There is a long silence before Katniss speaks again. "You remind me of my sister, Rue." I open my eyes again, and stare curiously at her. "Her name is Prim. Primrose. She's twelve, like you, and something about you is just reminds me of Prim." I blink, listening. "I... I volunteered for the Hunger Games to take her place."

"I..." I'm struggling to speak, now. The edges of my vision are dark and blurred. "I'm sorry."

Katniss shakes her head. "It's not your fault, Rue," she tells me. The moment of steadiness I had seen in her previous sentence melts away with her next words. "It's mine. I promised to protect you with my life. And now..." She trails off.

I open my mouth, but exhaustion overwhelms me. "Katniss... it's not your fault. It's... it's President Snow's fault... the Hunger Games..."

A look of anger fills Katniss's gray eyes. "Rue." She leans closer to whisper into my ear. "Rue, I told you. I'm going to put this right, soon. I'll make sure that _nothing_ is left of the Hunger Games."

I try to lift my head, but I'm too weak. "Thank you," I whisper. "Thank you."

Katniss turns her head away from me for a moment. "Don't go," I gasp out, too overwhelmed with pain and exhaustion to speak properly. My grip on her hand tightens. Katniss turns back, placing her hand on my cheek.

"Course not. Staying right here," she says. She sits down beside me and pulls my head onto her lap. I feel her hand brush my short, dark hair, over and over again, and I stare into her clear, gray eyes. I wish I had gotten to know Katniss when the circumstances weren't the Hunger Games.

"Sing," I say, quietly.

Katniss looks around, for a long moment, then nods. I can tell that she's thinking. When her expression is certain, I close my eyes, listening as Katniss gives a short cough, and begins her song in a soft voice, barely audible, at first.

 _"Deep in the meadow, under the willow_

 _A bed of grass, a soft green pillow_

 _Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes_

 _And when again they open, the sun will rise._

 _Here it's safe, here it's warm_

 _Here the daisies guard you from every harm_

 _Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true_

 _Here is the place where I love you."_

I feel my heart stops as Katniss sings. Her melodious voice floats gracefully into my ears, and I don't want to open my eyes, now. Katniss's hand touches my shoulder, and I feel the energy drain from my body. I can barely breathe, anymore. My chest is rising and falling, but very slowly.

 _"Deep in the meadow, hidden far away_

 _A cloak of leaves, A moonbeam ray,_

 _Forget your woes and let your troubles lay_

 _And when again it's morning, they'll wash away._

 _Here it's safe, here it's warm_

 _Here the daisies guard you from every harm_

 _Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true_

 _Here is the place where I love you."_

My eyes open ever-so-slightly, then close again, to see that the mockingjays have picked up Katniss's song. A single tear leaves my closed eyes and flows down my cheek. Katniss's lips press against my temple.

 _This is the end,_ I realize. My heart seems to have stopped, and my body is completely limp. But this wasn't dying, was it? It couldn't be. The blurred world I had seen moments earlier was brightening, and becoming clearer to my dark eyes, once more.

I hear a cannon. Something hard and metal clamps around my stomach, and moments later, I realize that I'm suspended in the air. Impulsively, I open my eyes, once more, too see that Katniss had fallen to her knees, tears streaming from her gray eyes. I can't bear to see her, this way. Looking up, I see that I'm dangling from a hovercraft.

But I'm not dead, am I? This wasn't dying. I can see the world as clearly as if I am alive. The only difference from being alive is that right now, I'm exhausted, and the energy has left my body entirely.

I close my eyes, and let darkness wash over me like a black wave.

* * *

 _There you have it. I hope you liked the first chapter! I've been thinking of this idea of the Capitol's mistake about the death of a tribute for a while, now, and I decided that Rue would be best because she would spark the most emotion._

 _So please, read and review!_

 _~ Fire in the Shadows_


End file.
